HEROD I., surnamed the Great. —The large extent of Herod's dominions, and the immense wealth he is said to have left to his relatives and to strangers, would lead us to infer that he must have had a very rich coinage. Josephus distinctly states that he left to his sister Salome five hundred thou sand, to Cuesar ten millions, and to others five millions of coined silver (cip-yuplou erto-illsov, xvii. S. ; whilst Zonaras (Annal. v. 16) says that Herod coined silver and gold from the vessels he took to assist the people who were suffering by famine in Syria and Judaea, a story also related by Josephus, with the exception that the words els pbo.uruct are omitted (Antiq. xv 9. 2). But the coining of gold was interdicted in all countries sub ject to the Romans, and that of silver was only granted to some of the most important cities, as Alexandria, Antioch of Syria, etc. (Eckhel, Doct. NUM. Vet., vol. i. p. lxxi.) We thus find in Judxa only a copper coinage from the time of the taking of Jerusalem by Pompey, excepting in the time of the revolt under Eleazar, Simon, son of Gioras, etc., and the second revolt under Bar-cochab. It is pro bable that the sums mentioned byJosephus are much exaggerated, and the silver must have been denarii. The coinage of Herod is strictly Greek, and the earlier coinage of his reign seems to have been struck of three denominations, the TpfxaXicov, the AtxaXrcov, and the XaXtcolis. Of the AixaXeov there
are at present no specimens existing in any cabinet. When the large coins ceased, the coins weighing to 43 grains are the semis, and those weighing 27 to 24, the quadrant. The specimen we here describe, which bears great resemblance in its types to the coins of Alexander Jannmus, evidently represents the quadrant, or aoapavrns of the N. T.
Obv. BALI. HP12A, written round an anchor.
Rev. United cornu-copiw, between which a caduceus. ./E 3.
None of his coins have the title MEDAL, as Ewald has supposed [HERODIAN FAMILY].
HEROD ARCHELAUS.—Coins of Archelaus have the title Ethnareh.
The specimen here described, weighing 18 grains, doubtless represents the Mier& of the N.T. [See MITE ; where a specimen is engraved.] Obv. HPO. Anchor.
E Rev 9 in an oak wreath ' AN adorned with a gem. /E 3.
HEROD ANTIPAS.—The coins of Herod Antipas bear the title Tetrarch; they are also of copper, and many of them are struck at Tiberias, a city built by Antipas in honour of the Roman emperor Tiberius (Joseph. Antiq. xviii. 2. 3). There are also coins struck by him under Caius. The fol lowing is a description of one of them :—